Taylor Decker Reveals His Two Favorite NFL Offensive Linemen

Taylor Decker shares who his favorite offensive linemen are and how he has modified his preparation over the last few NFL seasons.

Taylor Decker recently revealed who his favorite two tackles in the National Football League are to watch. 

In a Detroit News feature on his modified preparation over the past few seasons, Decker revealed that his two favorite tackles to watch are Trent Williams and Tyron Smith. 

“I just like watching them play,” Decker said. “If you watch somebody who plays your position playing against the guy you're about to play and he's playing well, it gives you confidence.”

Over the past two seasons, the talented lineman has emerged as an elite pass-blocking offensive lineman. 

Pro Football Focus graded him in the top 10 in pass-blocking in both 2020 and 2021. 

'I was psyching myself out'

Back in 2017, Decker's second season in the NFL, a serious shoulder injury derailed his season. 

The 28-year-old reveals that he likely returned too soon, and his play out on the field when he did return was severely impacted. 

In order to compensate for missing game action, Decker watched film diligently. 

Unfortunately, the extensive time watching film also hurt his psyche. 

According to writer Justin Rogers, "To compensate for missing the first half of the season, he tried to make up for it in the film room, consuming extra tape. Through that process, he reached a point of oversaturation that impacted his confidence."

As a result, Decker's 2017 season was among his worst as a pro. 

“I think it was detrimental, because I made myself mentally exhausted, on top of not feeling physically ready to go out there. I came back way too early, and I was watching so much film that I was psyching myself out," Decker revealed. "I wasn't going out there confident. A part of that was the mental side, knowing I probably shouldn't be out here. But, I'm going to do it anyway.”

Entering his seventh season in the league, Decker was not hesitant to share with reporters his expectation for the offensive line in 2022. 

"I would say this is the most talented line I've been a part of, 100%," Decker said at the team's practice facility last month. "I'm not necessarily a talent evaluator, but we've got a bunch of guys who are smart, confident, athletic, I mean we can get out and run a bunch of guys on the perimeter or we can run downhill.

"Then one-on-one pass blocking, I'm 100% confident if you put five guys across from us, we're going to be able to hold up."